Jahan Dotson has now shared the turf with Jalen Hurts for two full years. The wide receiver, who was traded to Philly, offered a real and unfiltered look at how Hurts leads inside that locker room. And it is not the picture some reports have been painting.

“My two years being here, he [Jalen Hurts] was way more vocal. We were challenging ourselves. The coaches were challenging us. And he was relaying those messages to us when we were tired. Tired in practice or tired in the full court, he was relaying those messages to us. And he was making sure that everything was a tight ship run,” Dotson told reporter Jordan Schultz on his podcast.

If you have followed Hurts closely, you know he is not the quarterback who believes in long speeches and fiery press conference moments. He gives short, crisp answers. His personality has often made him come across as distant. But Dotson, who has been in that building every single day, is revealing the reality inside the facility.​

“He [Jalen Hurts] truly is one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around. He commands the attention of the huddle. He commands the attention of the room,” Dotson added.

Dotson arrived in Philly ahead of the 2024 season after the Commanders traded him alongside a fifth-round pick for a third-round pick and two seventh-round picks in the 2025 draft. He came to a new city looking for a fresh start. The Eagles organization used that same 2024 season to deliberately push Hurts into reshaping his leadership identity.

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“The Eagles are not questioning his long-term viability as a franchise quarterback…Hurts is usually a few words and stoic. They want him to be more front-facing and a vocal leader, especially with [center] Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, and long-term fixtures could be moving on,” NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo reported in early 2024.

And then something clicked. The Eagles stumbled out of the gate, starting the 2024 season 2-2, before catching fire and winning 12 of their final 13 regular-season games. Hurts then delivered a Super Bowl MVP performance. And the Eagles dismantled the Chiefs 40-22 to claim the Lombardi. The vocal, demanding leader that Dotson described had arrived at precisely the right time.

But then that green confetti dried up, and this season ended with the Eagles losing to the 49ers in the Wild Card round. The same old questions came roaring back. But this time, they came with a lot more noise.

Inside Jalen Hurts’ locker room fallout

The chatter around Jalen Hurts and the locker room has been relentless this season. AJ Brown left no stone unturned in expressing that his role in the offense was shrinking. And when players start posting online instead of resolving things behind closed doors, it tells you the temperature inside the building has gone up. Exactly what Eagles legend LeSean McCoy laid out.

“I did a lot [of] digging because I know some people,” McCoy said on Speakeasy. “The problem is we can’t do exotic looks…because I’m hearing he can’t really do it.”

Under former offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, the Eagles’ attack felt flat and predictable through the season. The drop was more visible in the running game. A unit that ranked second in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 2024 fell to 18th in yards and 14th in touchdowns the very next year.

Hurts himself did not escape the scrutiny. The dual-threat quarterback, whose legs are as dangerous as his arm, managed just 421 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in 2025. Those numbers represent the third-lowest rushing output of his career as a starter. The only worse season was his rookie year in 2020, when he rushed for 354 yards and three touchdowns across just four starts. 

Moreover, McCoy believes the Eagles suffered offensively because they never gave Brown enough chances to showcase his elite-level talent.

“When you watch dudes like [Vikings wideout] Justin Jefferson or [Bengals wideout] Ja’Marr Chase, look how [their teams] are trying to get their best receiver the ball… They don’t do that with [wide receiver] A.J. Brown,” McCoy said on Speakeasy. “And I think the problem they don’t do that is because of the quarterback.”​

Brown’s social media behavior throughout the season mirrored exactly that frustration. The tipping point arrived early in a Week 4 loss to Tampa Bay, where Hurts targeted Brown eight times in the second half and failed to complete a single pass. That glaring “8-for-0” stat became the direct catalyst for Brown’s cryptic online posts.

The locker room tension finally boiled over in front of the cameras during the Wild Card loss to the 49ers. Brown was caught in a highly animated, heated sideline discussion with head coach Nick Sirianni after another series of missed targets. But here is where it gets complicated: Did Hurts actually drive Brown’s shrinking role?

There is no question that Hurts holds significant influence in Philly’s offensive structure. He is the franchise’s face. But there has been no clear, direct evidence that Hurts alone dictated play-calling or controlled how many targets Brown received. 

Patullo has been replaced by former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion. Whether the issue was scheme, play-calling, Hurts’ limitations, or a combination of all three remains an open question.